Guzmania plant named Oriental

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Guzmania plant named Oriental, characterized particularly by the coloration of its bracts. The bracts at the bottom of the flower shaft are mainly green with a red merge zone and a green tip. The intermediate bracts are mainly orange with an outer red merge zone and tip. The uppermost bracts surrounding the flowers, which are yellow-orange with a very bright yellow tip, are orange with red at the very tip.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Guzmanialingulata, referred to by the name Oriental. The genus Guzmania iswithin the family Bromeliaceae.

Oriental is a product of a planned selecting and in-breeding programconducted in Laarne, Belgium. The program evolved from the importationby the inventor of seeds of several different cultivars of Guzmanialingulata from Colombia, South American. When grown out to flower,several plants were selected for their beautiful flowers, and weresubsequently crossed with cultivars from the same species (in-breeding).

Oriental was originated by the inventor Henri De Meyer in Laarne,Belgium, from the in-breeding program referred to. The male and femaleparents were lingulata plants which are unknown at this time. Selectionswere made from the progeny of the stated cross for purposes of furtherbreeding.

The progenitor of Oriental was discovered and selected by the inventorafter flowering near the end of the 1970s. The selected cultivars werethereafter inbred over several generations, resulting in the newcultivar Oriental.

Oriental was first asexually reproduced in 1988 by offshoots by theinventor in Laarne, Belgium. The offshoots were rooted, with theresulting plantlets being detached from the mother plant and potted upin an appropriate growing mixture. Asexual reproduction by tissueculture techniques has been effected for the past three years.Horticulatural examination of plants so propagated has demonstrated thatthe combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for Oriental arefirmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexualreproduction, which can be effected by offshoots as described or byknown tissue culture techniques.

The accompanying color photographic drawings show typical flower, bractand foliage characteristics of Oriental, with colors being as true aspossible with illustrations of this type.

The photograph on sheet 1 is a top perspective view of a typical plantof Oriental, in flower.

The photo on sheet 2 comprises a closeup view showing the flowers andsurrounding bracts in more detail.

Oriental has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly when grown underdifferent conditions of temperature, light and other determiningfactors, without, however, any variation in the genotype. The followingobservations, measurements and comparisons describe plants grown inLaarne, Belgium under greenhouse conditions which approximate thosegenerally used in commercial practice.

Classification:

Botanical.--Guzmania lingulata cv. Oriental.

PLANT

Form: Rosette.

Height: Approx. 15-18 cm when plant is in bloom; leaf rosette approx.11-12 cm.

Diameter: Approx. 45 cm when plant is in bloom.

Growth habit: Stemless.

Method of propagation: Offshoots or tissue culture.

Foliage:

Quantity.--Approximately 20 leaves.

Size of leaves.--Length of 5 to 28 cm depending on whether leaves are attop or bottom.

Shape of leaf.--Linear with a pointed tip (becomes lanceolate where theleaves curl inward, approximately 6-7 cm from the leaf tip); leaf edgeentire and upright.

Surface texture.--Slightly ribbed (both bottom and top surfaces).

Color.--Upperside 147 A. Underside 147 A with very fine purplish stripeson the lower half of the leaf, 184A. The stripes can be so closetogether that the underside of the leaf appears to be 184A.

Leaf sheaths.--Size: Width 5 cm, length 8 cm. Shape: Oval. Color: Thepart of the leaf sheath which is covered by other leaf sheaths is 162C.The part of the leaf sheath which is clearly visible from outside isapproximately 147A, similar to the foliage color.

BRACTS

Quantity: About 25 in number, with the bases of the bracts completelysurrounding the flower shaft.

Size: Bracts at bottom of the flower shaft are approximately 16 to 22 cmin length and 20 to 22 mm in width. Bracts near the top of the flowershaft have a length of 9 to 12 cm and a width of 12 to 15 mm.

Shape: The leaf curls outward so that the bracts of one and the sameverticil form a generally horizontal plane. The bracts at the bottom ofthe flower shaft spread out wider but do not reach the same height asthe horizontal plane of the bracts in the center.

Color: The lowermost verticil of bracts have a green tip 147A with a redmerge zone (closest to 43A) and a green tip. Nearest to the flower shaftthe main color of the bracts is 24A. The red merge zone moves outwardlyon approaching the upper bracts while the green tip disappears. Theupper bracts in the center are 24A with an orange-red tip nearest to33A.

FLOWERS

Borne: On a short and sturdy shaft which stands erect and has a diameterof approximately 2.5 cm and a length of about 8 cm.

Blooming habit: Flowers bloom approximately 12 weeks after induction.Single flowers bloom only one day. The total inflorescence (from firstto last flower) lasts about 6 weeks.

Quantity: 12 to 25 total flowers.

Size: The entire flower system has a length of approximately 7 cm and adiameter of 2 cm. Each individual flower is about 4-5 cm in length.

Shape: Straight.

Color: Yellow-orange approximately 24A with a light yellow white top 11Dof approximately 5 mm.

Petals: 3 in number; lower part 24A and upper part 11D.

Reproductive organs.

Pistils.--1, white.

Stamen.--6, white.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Guzmania plant namedOriental, as illustrated and described.